Coincidentally the first of those title wins in the 21st century was the year 2000 — 11 years prior to the second.
Akroyd was in the team that day and again in 2011, along with Collier.
Wins to Collier, Reedy and Stewart in the 36-hole matchplay format did the job for Park on Sunday.
Collier, at No.1, beat Eddie Brown Jr 5 and 4, No.3 Reedy beat Hukanui Brown 7 and 6 and No.4 Stewart beat Dean Pohatu 5 and 4.
No.3 Akroyd conceded to Shayde Skudder on the 14th as the title had been secured. Skudder was 4-up playing that hole at the time.
Reedy and Stewart were in control of their matches at 5-up after 18 holes.
Stewart got to as high as 8-up after 21 holes before Pohatu gamely fought back, but the cushion Stewart had built ultimately proved insurmountable.
Tairawhiti Golf Association president Reedy, who dropped from No.1 to No.3 in a tactical team reshuffle, said he played “solid” — particularly on the second nine of the morning round.
Along with the Jug, Reedy was also presented with the Sportsman Trophy as the player of the series. He won all six of his matches — he was unavailable for round 7 and the semifinal — and all but the final was at No.1.
Stewart was an almost immovable rock throughout the series. He ended with a record of six wins, one half and a solitary loss to Tolaga Bay’s Taine Lincoln in round 7.
Akroyd and Collier had five wins each from their eight matches.
Collier shone at the pointy end of the series, with victories in Park’s semifinal win over Tolaga Bay and the final — both of those at No.1.
“Dan played well,” Akroyd said of Collier’s victory over Eddie Brown in Sunday’s final. “He birdied five (his 14th hole) to go square, and nine, 10 and 13.”
“Dan came through when it counted,” said Reedy, who was also full of praise for Stewart.
“I was going to leave him out of the team to begin with.”
It was decided to go with Stewart instead of Sel Peneha although the latter did contribute two wins in round 7 and the semifinals in the absence of Reedy.
Skudder was the stand-out for Patutahi (2). He won all six of his matches but was unable to play in two rounds due to rugby commitments as YMP premier club team captain.
In other positional playoffs, Te Puia Springs beat Tolaga Bay 6-2 for third while Poverty Bay defeated Patutahi (1) 7-1 for fifth.
Te Puia Springs’ Thomas Donovan would have been a strong contender for player of the series had his side got to the final. He forged the best record — seven wins and one loss (to Skudder in the semis).
Poverty Bay’s Nick Richardson had five wins, as did Te Puia Springs’ Andrew Higham.
Patutahi deserved special mention for their overall contribution.
The club entered two teams, balancing out both to help create a more even competition.
Results showed that was a success, as was a change to a full round-robin of singles matches only, rather than the traditional format of morning foursomes and afternoon singles.
Park (2) once again fronted with two sides and while their No.2 team were the wooden spooners, the experience for newcomers such as Matt Henwood
was invaluable.
Electrinet Park are looking confidently to next year with a crew of single-figure-handicap players emerging.
“The likes of the Christophers brothers (Craig and Mike) and Matt Henwood — they are bloody keen,” said Reedy.
Rising talents such as Zach Rolls and Silas Brown add to that pool.
“It’s encouraging. We are going to have a bit of depth with these guys getting better and better. It is going to be interesting to see how it pans out.”
Pennants co-organiser Dwayne Russell was rapt with how the 2022 series went.
“It was an awesome day at the Park and a well-deserved win to the locals in great conditions,” said Russell, who played at No.1 for Patutahi (1).
“Great to see a lot of debutants and a hole-in-one (Akroyd at Tolaga Bay) as milestones.
“A special mention to all the players involved and team captains for an outstanding effort in raising the bar.
“It bodes well for the representative season, with a lot of players in contention for (Freyberg) Masters and national interprovincial selection.”
Reedy paid tribute to Russell, who he said “stepped up and took leadership and made it a lot more professional”.
He was also grateful for the ongoing support of the players, club and sponsors.
